Grotesque Assassin

The grotesque assassin represents the next step in evolution among the grotesques that serve Everblight. Reshaped by blighted energy, assassins boast longer bodies, a barbed tail, and more refined wings. These trained killers retain a mental capacity well beyond that of other grotesques, making them skilled hunters capable of leadership and advanced tactics.

Basic Info

Abilities

• Template:Flight
• Template:Stealth

Leadership

While within {{{d}}} of this model, friendly [[{{{model}}}]] models gain [[:Category:{{{ability}}}|{{{ability}}}]].

• Template:Sprint

Weapons

• Assassin's Blade (x2) - 0.5" reach, P+S 11 melee weapons.
  • Template:Combo Strike
  • Template:Grievous Wounds

Theme Forces

• Template:Ravens of War

Thoughts on Grotesque Assassin

Grotesque Assassin in a nutshell

The Grotesque Assassin ("the Assassin") is a fairly competent combat solo intended to add some pressure to enemy flanking solos and provide support to the Legion's winged units - Grotesque Raiders and Grotesque Banshees, and tends to do well in both roles.

The Assassin is not too disimilar in general function to the Swordsmen's Blighted Nyss Warlord, but his targets and mechanics are a bit different. He prefers small but still high priority targets, and what he trades in raw damage he makes up through in mobility with the combination of high speed, wings, and Sprint. In a pinch, he can go after slightly harder targets using Combo Strike to make his charge a bit scarier.

He also brings a different form of utility on his swords with Grievous Wounds - like the Warlord's Decapitation, it's useful for ensuring his target dies, but unlike the Warlord if he fails to kil his target, the lasting effect of Grievous Wounds can prevent the enemy from healing their jack or beast who just lost a key aspect or system.

Combos & Synergies

The Assassin does not have a lot of explicit combos, beyond the obvious Grotesque buff bot.

• On the topic of Raiders and Banshees - the Assassin should be a high priority for inclusion with Raiders, as they lack any sort of defensive tech and Stealth can go a long way towards keeping them safe. Banshees may also enjoy auto-misses on AoEs, triggering their +4 ARM against blast damage and making to battle mostly intact.
• While Deathstalkers do deal with small swarms of infantry well, they struggle against flanking solos with multiple wounds or access to stealth, so Assassins can bring a much needed counter to these types of threats.
• Bethayne1's Blood Thorn adds +2 POW on a models weapon, which gives him Px2+S 19 combostrikes.
• ARM debuffs on its targets are very good with Combo Strike. Bethayne1, Bethayne2 or Lylyth1 accomplishes this.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• Stealth only keeps the Assassin so safe, and his low ARM will attract intentionally missed blast damage templates.
• He's not as good as mulching infantry as a pair of Deathstalkers, and not as good at raw damage as a Warlord, so his widespread use is not as great. That said, when offered a spot in a list, the Assassin can still pull his weight when used correctly.
• When using him solely for Grievous Wounds, he's likely to remain in combat and die the following turn.

Tricks & Tips

• Don't overcommit and rely on Sprint to move you back to safety - two bad dice rolls can leave you swinging in the breeze.

Other

Trivia

Released in Hordes: Devastation (2015)

Other Legion models

Index Legion